Tastener for fish-plates for rails



(No Model.)

J! SI FASTENEB, FOR FISH PLATES FOR RAILS.

. Patented Mar. 31, 1891.

UNITED STATES PATENT GFFICE.

JOHN S. GARY, OFBELLEVUE, TEXAS.

FASTENER FOR FISH-PLATES FOR RAILS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 449,115, dated March 31, 1891.

Application filed July 21, 1890- Serial No. 359,365 (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN S. GARY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Bellevue, in the county of Clay and State of Texas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fasteners for Fish-Plates for Rails; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference beinghad to the annexed d rawings, making a part of this specification, and to the letters of referencemarked thereon.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in fasteners for fishplates for rails; and ithas forits object, among others, to provide a simple, cheap, durable, and eflicient device of this character which can be readily applied and which will not only firmly hold the plates in position, but will serve to deaden the noise caused by the frictional contact of the parts.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter appear, and the novel features thereof will be specificall y defined by the appended claim.

The invention is clearly illustrated in the accompanying drawings, which, with the letters of reference marked thereon, form a part of this specification, and in which Figure 1 is a side elevation with parts broken away and others in section, showing my improvements applied. Fig. 2 is a vertical cross-section through Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a perspective view ofthe bolt and key.

. Like letters of reference indicate like parts throughout the several views.

Referring now to the details of the drawings by letter, A designates the adjacent ends of two rails, and B the fish-plates, of known construction.

B is the bolt, which is provided with ahead I) and inside the head with an oval portion a, adapted to enter a correspondingly-shaped opening in the fish-plate, and the boltis thus prevented from turning. The other end of the bolt is slotted, as shown at c.

E is a wedge-shaped key adapted to work in the slot of the bolt, as shown in Fig. 3, and this key is provided with a bendable thin portion (1, which is adapted to be bent up over the bolt, as indicated in Fig. 3 by dotted lines, after the key has been driven home.

In practice the bolt is passed through the openings in the fish-plates, as shown in Fig. 2, the oval boss or portion of the head of the boltbeing seated in a correspondingly-shaped opening in the fish-plate and the key then driven through the slot in the bolt upon the outside of the other fish-plate, as seen, and when the key has been driven up so as to firmly hold the plates against the rails the end of the thin portion of the key is bent around the bolt, as indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 3, and the parts are firmly held in position. When it is desired to separate the parts, it is only necessary to bend the thin portion of the key in line with the other portion, when the key can be withdrawn.

In order to deaden the sound caused by the contact of the plates and rails, I employ washers 0, preferably of vulcanized rubber, which are slipped on the bolt between the rails and each fish-plate, as shown in Fig. 2, and sometimes between the key and the outer face of the adjacent fish-plate, as indicated in Fig.2.

\Vhat I claim as new is- The combination, with the fish-plates and rail, of the washers between the plates and rail, the bolt slotted as shown, the wedgeshaped key provided with thin bendable portion, and the washer on the bolt between the key and fish-plate, substantially as shown and described.

In testimony that I claim the above I have hereunto subscribed my name in the presence of two witnesses.

JOHN S. GARY.

Witnesses:

J. B. DUNCAN, W. C. LEBERMANN. 

